Indeed. E89 Z4 steering is certainly not sensational. It's probably the worst aspect of the car IME.
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- Thread starter Lopéz
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Caporegime
It depends what you are used to driving. If you drive a bus for a living then I am sure it is sensational. You are also getting to the stage where people haven't used a hydraulic rack in their life so do not know what they are missing.
It is the same with people who are quite happy with the speed of a 520D which for me is just unacceptable.
Associate
Not saying it's a good vin decoder, it also showed the power output as 0.
The worst thing about the E89 is the body flex. You can feel the front turn, the energy propagate through the body and twist and then the back goes with it. Still an excellent convertible / cruiser though, I miss my 35iS as a sort of muscle car gt thing.
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I can totally see how a car that has just under 200bhp and does 0-60 in 7.2 seconds offers performance that is 'unacceptable' to someone who drives a Suzuki Ignis.
Caporegime
That's the missus car. My car is 300BHP and 420NM.
Plus Autotrader shows 520D Touring's as 0-60 in 7.8 seconds and top speed 139MPH.
My point was a car of that size and in a "prestige" bracket you would expect a lot more performance but to the vast majority who are used to 1.6TDCI Fords would think it is a rocket ship.
That was the comparison I was trying to make with the Z4. For someone who has come out of something mundane the steering will feel great but go into a more focused roadster like an MR2 or MX5 and it will not.
They've been in production for 17 years across 3 generations. The latest version is as I said.
No, you wouldn't, or you'd not have bought a 520d. The latest 530d, for example, has just under 300bhp and 650nm, which I trust meets your requirements. If performance like that was important, you'd buy that one instead. For what it is, the 520d is really quite good. How many other bottom of the range diesel engine options offer that level of performance?
Caporegime
I was quoting latest version as well unless Autotrader is wrong but I see different figures for the Touring as I guess it is a little bit heavier.
Just like the steering of the E89 meets the requirements of the guy who said it.
Soldato
Try an MX-5 next
It's electric power steering widely regarded by most enthusiasts as terrible. It doesn't bother me as I'm not really big on things like steering feel - but it's certainly the first I've heard of any praise for it
I've owned an E89 Z4 sDrive35i and an MX-5 (which I supercharged etc).
I never understood why the E89 steering got such hate. Sure, its not like the steering in the M3 and it isn't quite a Boxster but it is easily good enough for the car to be properly fun. I'd take an E89 Z4 over an MX-5 all day every day.
It meets my requirements too, I find it absolutely fine, but I'm forever told by proper car enthusiasts that its totally awful. Plus like I said, unlike most steering 'feel' is low down my priority list.
Caporegime
Someone put Toyos on a TVR?
A cry for help if ever I saw one!
Like putting the toaster on a shelf above the bath.
A cry for help if ever I saw one!
Like putting the toaster on a shelf above the bath.
The toyo tyres are TVR spec. Specifically designed for the car in 2000 or whenever, pretty sure its the same compound now and its awful 
The toyos on mine were made in 2016, so they must have been past there best even though they had all the tread left on them. At the time they might have been ok. The good years are a great improvement.
The toyos on mine were made in 2016, so they must have been past there best even though they had all the tread left on them. At the time they might have been ok. The good years are a great improvement.
Goodyear F1 AS5 are great for wear rates & massive grip but I am having my doubts about how strong they actually are as I have had 2 punctures in less than 2 months on both front tyres (double slash on front left & slow puncture on front right both looked perfect but would not hold the pressure for long) they are now insured so if they go again I get brand new replacements for free (never going to accept a repair on a puncture on a 94V tyre!).
(double slash on front left & slow puncture on front right both looked perfect but would not hold the pressure for long) they are now insured so if they go again I get brand new replacements for free (never going to accept a repair on a puncture on a 94V tyre!).i really wanted super sports are PS4, but they dont do them in the correct size. 
it was either these or Yokohama R052 which were expensive and a bit extreme. I didnt want the car to stick completely all the time as it trying to escape is part of the fun. Just dont want it escaping because my toe twitched like on the toyo's.
it was either these or Yokohama R052 which were expensive and a bit extreme. I didnt want the car to stick completely all the time as it trying to escape is part of the fun. Just dont want it escaping because my toe twitched like on the toyo's.
Caporegime
Goodyear F1 AS5 are great for wear rates & massive grip but I am having my doubts about how strong they actually are as I have had 2 punctures in less than 2 months on both front tyres
I also had a set for a year which ended up with a bulge. Then again the pot holes from this winter gone were pretty horrid. Replaced with the same.
Caporegime
The toyo tyres are TVR spec. Specifically designed for the car in 2000 or whenever, pretty sure its the same compound now and its awful
Ahh they'll be T1R then. The TR1 came out quite recently. Stupid decision to change the name like that, just causes confusion. The TR1 is much much better, albeit still not the best.
T1R is a damn awful tyre. Utterly lethal in the wet. I wonder if Toyo are to blame for the reputation TVR get...
People continue to put them on all sorts of cars even today. Its actually a running joke between my friend and I, we point out every time we see a nice car with T1Rs on it.
"Its nice, but look at the tyres..."
"Oh FFS..."
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